All Chapters of Kidnapped by My Mate Universe: The Alpha's Doe: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

20. SoonAbout a week had passed, and Ace was honoring his promise to keep his hands to himself.And I was pretty sure I was about to lose my mind.Yeah, I know, I know, I was the one who demanded he stop touching me in a sexual way. But I never believed he would be quite so capable of it.But, oh no, he was more than capable; he was a fucking expert at keeping his hands to himself. In fact, not only was he succeeding at not touching me sexually, but he was avoiding making any physical contact with me altogether.I’m not kidding; it was as if I’d contracted the goddamn plague or something. He started to stand at least a foot away from me and kept his hands safely stowed in his pockets.For the first time since we’d met at six years old, he didn’t hold my waist as he walked me through the school hallway, or grip my thigh while driving, or wrap his arms around me while we slept.Even the hickeys on my neck were starting to fade. I couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t have giant br

22. The Heart’s ConfessionI felt absolutely ridiculous.I was waiting by the front door of my house, peering out the window for Ace’s car to pull into my driveway.Today was the day. I was going to ask out Ace. I was finally going to admit my feelings for him.Marta was in full support and had even helped me plan my outfit: a pink sundress that I usually only wore on special occasions. This counted, right?“You should have seen the way Ace looked at you when you showed up at my birthday party wearing that,” she’d said when I FaceTimed her earlier that morning.“His eyes didn’t leave you the entire night, and he kept licking his lips like he wanted to eat you. Trust me, that’s the dress you want to wear to ask him out.”Marta had invited the entire school to her house for that birthday party: a fall bonfire before the start of the new school year.Ace was tense the entire night; he kept me glued to his side and snapped at any men who came too close to me.I hadn’t thought much of it a

24. Beneath the SurfaceMy eyes fluttered open at the sound of someone’s hushed voice speaking next to me.“Yeah. I won’t leave her until you get here. She’s waking up right now.” A pause.“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”I sat up slowly, noticing it was dark out. Also, I was freezing. I rubbed my eyes, feeling thoroughly disoriented.Where the hell am I? And why does my back hurt so much?It came back to me all at once. Ace rejecting me. Clara telling me they had a date.Madoc confessing I wasn’t going to be the only girl in Ace’s life anymore. Running away. Crying. Crying some more.The last thing I remembered was finding a bench on the hiking trail and curling up on it. I must have been asleep for a few hours—it was basically pitch black.A familiar face was looking down at me.“M-Madoc? What…?” I was still groggy from just waking up.Or was it because it was the first time since meeting Ace that I had been able to fall asleep without him next to me? I must have exhausted myself with all

26. The Weight of Unspoken WordsI was awoken by a gentle caressing sensation against my neck and the feel of tension in the air.My eyes snapped open. Ace had pulled his desk chair up to the side of his bed and was sitting next to me, staring down at me with a deep frown set on his face.The backs of his fingers ran over my skin in absentminded motions, and it dawned on me that he was petting the spot where he had bitten me the previous night.I swallowed. The sparks from his touch seemed to be more intense than normal, causing unwanted heat to travel from the spot on my throat and pool between my legs.Silently, I sat up. Ace’s hand fell from my neck, allowing me some reprieve. The look on his face made me feel incredibly uneasy. His eyes were spitting fire, and his presence oozed dominance.Without a word, he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he regarded me.I guess it’s time to address what happened yesterday.“Ace—”“Eight hours,” he snapped. “Eight fu

28. Tasting the Forbidden“Okay,” Ace spoke softly, studying me with concern. “Okay, I think it’s time we talk.Let’s cut this panic of yours short before it starts to snowball, yeah?”He helped me sit up with gentle hands and wiped my hair out of my face.“So.” I gulped when I noticed his hand massaging my thigh. “Y-you want to…be with me?”“More than anything,” Ace confirmed. The broad, loving smile on his face made more than just my stomach flutter. “I’ve dreamed of this day since the moment we met.”Despite my overwhelming feelings of love and relief, unexpected anger rose too.“So, then, why didn’t you tell me that, you big jerk!”I couldn’t help myself. All those years of confusion and wondering what our relationship was, and for what? For him to tell me he had been in love with me since the day we met?I slapped him on his chest and then instantly regretted it when pain raced up my wrist. It was like hitting a rock.Ace tutted his disapproval and gently grabbed my hand before k